Photoprint holder and storage container

ABSTRACT

A rectangular frame, having a center picture opening therein, is provided for holding and storing wet photoprints of the type obtaining from Polaroid, or the like, cameras. All such photoprints, whether coated black and white or color, are originally wet and sticky. The frames for storing and holding such wet photoprints comprise spaced apart top and bottom rails, which are of U-shape in section and spaced end rails, said four rails forming a frame with a center picture opening and spaced apart top and bottom slots for slidingly receiving therein the edge portions of a photoprint. One of said end rails is provided with a stop to arrest sliding traveling movement of a photoprint therepast and the other end rail is provided with an opening permitting end grasping of a photoprint for sliding insertion or removal of the photoprint from the spaced apart slots. A storage container is provided for mounting said rectangular frames and is preferably provided with a shallow lid hinged to a top edge portion along the longest side of the containers, providing a convenient and stable support for photoprints while they are being coated, if desired. Diagonally extending side rails are secured to the inside surfaces of the side walls of the container and the rectangular frames are disposed in superposed, steplike relation, each having an end portion thereof pivoted to said side rails, the pivot means of each rectangular photoprint holder being spaced from the pivot means of the next below photoprint holder permitting free upward turning movements of a photoprint holder as respects the next below photoprint holder. Also, a refuse clip is preferably provided in a bottom portion of the receptacle for the stowing therein of refuse from the film package providing said photoprints.

United States Patent [191 Nelson May 22, 1973 [54] PHOTOPRINT HOLDER AND STORAGE CONTAINER [76] Inventor: ljerbert T, Nelson, 992 Mason Lake Drive, Grapeview, Wash. 98546 [22] Filed: Aug. 25, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 174,676

Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-J. l-l. Wolff Attorney-Clinton L. Mathis [57] ABSTRACT A rectangular frame, having a center picture opening therein, is provided for holding and storing wet photoprints of the type obtaining from Polaroid, or the like, cameras. All such photoprints, whether coated black and white or color, are originally wet and sticky.

The frames for storing and holding such wet photoprints comprise spaced apart top and bottom rails, which are of U-shape in section and spaced end rails, said four rails forming a frame with a center picture opening and spaced apart top and bottom slots for slidingly receiving therein the edge portions of a photoprint. One of said end rails is provided with a stop to arrest sliding traveling movement of a photoprint therepast and the other end rail is provided with an opening permitting end grasping of a photoprint for sliding insertion or removal of the photoprint from the spaced apart slots. A storage container is provided for mounting said rectangular frames and is preferably provided with a shallow lid hinged to a top edge portion along the longest side of the containers, providing a convenient and stable support for photoprints while they are being coated, if desired. Diagonally extending side rails are secured to the inside surfaces of the side walls of the container and the rectangular frames are disposed in superposed, steplike relation, each having an end portion thereof pivoted to said side rails, the pivot means of each rectangular photoprint holder being spaced from the pivot means of the next below photoprint holder permitting free upward turning movements of a photoprint holder as respects the next below photoprint holder. Also, a refuse clip is preferably provided in a bottom portion of the receptacle for the stowing therein of refuse from the film package providing said photoprints.

1 Claim, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEUMAYZZ I975 I 3. 733. 726

SHEET 1 UF 2 INVENTOR Y HERBISQT 7. NELSO/V PIIO'IOPRINT HOLDER AND STORAGE CONTAINER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to apparatus for holding and storing wet photoprints, either black and white or color, obtaining from a Polaroid, or the like, camera-- -such prints being hereinafter referred to as photoprints. After such a black and white photoprint is removed from the camera, it must be coated with a suitable coating material provided by the manufacturer of the film. After coating, nothing must touch the picture surface of the photoprint until such surface is completely dry. While a color photoprint from such a camera does not require coating, the picture surface of the same is somewhat wet and sticky until it completely dries after the photoprint has been developed. It is imperative that until dry either type of photoprint must be kept away from dust and contact with other prints and other objects or the picture surface of the photoprint will be damaged. It must not be touched by ones fingers and the photoprints cannot be stacked. Under humid conditions, the photoprints require extended drying periods. My invention provides apparatus for handling and storing such photoprints during the drying process so that they may be isolated against being touched or in touching other prints or objects.

2. Description of the Prior Art After the complete development of such a photoprint, the back of the camera is opened and the photoprint is extracted. Generally, a deckle edge is provided to facilitate removal by gentle tearing out of the photoprint together with the tab. This tab, when so provided, serves to provide an area with which to hold a black and white print while it is being coated and also may function as a handle when provided, to pick up a wet color photoprint. The holding of a wet photoprint by a tab or the safely maintaining of a wet photoprint on its back surface, either in ones hand or on another object until the photoprint is dry, is a trying task and many times an unsuccessful task. Also, conditions of high humidity increase the difficulties and increase the proba bilities of nonsuccess.

Regardless of the inconveniences involved and ofttimes ruining a photoprint, no satisfactory holding and storing apparatus for wet photoprints has been heretofore commerically available to my knowledge.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a rectangular photoprint holder for wet photoprints comprising parallel, top and bottom rails, each being of U-shape in section and which together form spaced apart slots for slidingly receiving therein the top and bottom edge portions of a wet photoprint. These slots are held in spaced apart relation and the rectangular frame is completed by two spaced rails preferably has therein a crescent shaped opening through which the trailing end portion, outside the picture portion of a photoprint, may be finger engaged for sliding insertion or removal of the photoprint with the top and bottom edge portions of the photoprint disposed in said slots during such insertion and removal. Also, a stop to arrest sliding movement of the preceding edge portion of the photoprint is provided in the other end wall of the said frame. Such stop may be in the form of a bent portion of one wall of a U-shaped rail toward the other .rail thereof. Also, preferably, reinforcing spacing ribs are formed in the rails and such ribs outline the picture opening provided in the frame.

A preferred form of container for supporting such rectangular photoprint holder comprises: a container body having a shallow lid hinged along the upper marginal edge portion of a longer side of the container. Rail means are disposed on the inside face of each side wall of the container, adjacent one end portion thereof, and each extends diagonally downwardly from a top portion to a bottom portion of such inside surface of each side wall. A plurality of rectangular photoprint holders are provided in superposed relation and end portions of the rectangular frames are pivoted to said rails and with the pivot means of each rectangular photoprint holder being spaced from the pivot means of the next below photoprint holder permitting free upward turning movement of each photoprint holder as respects the next below photoprint holder.

A preferred form also includes a storage clip secured to the floor of the container and removed from the photoprint holders, so that refuse from the film package providing the photoprints can be stored and later properly disposed of with due regard to the chemical constituency of such refuse.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be explicit or implicit to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains upon reference to the following detailed description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A more complete understanding of this invention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred forms of the invention in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a rectangular photoprint holder of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom elevational view of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear plan elevational view;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on broken line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially on broken line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of a container having a plurality of rectangular photoprint holders mounted therein; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken substantially on broken line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 6 of the drawings, top rail 10 and bottom rail 12 are each U-shaped in section and together form spaced apart slots for the sliding mounting therein of the top and bottom edge portions of a photoprint 14, shown in phantom in FIG. 7. End rails 16 and 18 are disposed normal to rails and 12 and said four rails are connected together to form a rectangular frame with a center opening of a size to register with the picture area of a photoprint 14. Heretofore photoprints 14 from Polaroid were rectangular with two longer sides. Now Polaroid has come on the market with square photoprints. Other manufacturers, such as Eastman Kodak Co., have indicated that they will have cameras on the market which will produce competitive photoprints. Thus, the size of the center opening of a particular rectangular photoprint holder will have to match the photoprint of a particular manufacturer which is to be held and stored therein.

At the area of the forward end rail 16, surface of rail 10 is bent toward the remainder of rail 10 to provide the end stop 24 and preferably the'ou te'r s'u'rface 22 of the rail 12 is also bent and provides the end stop 26. A photoprint 14 is finger grasped, by its trailing edge, and is slid with its top and bottom edge portions in the U-shaped grooves provided by the top and bottom rails 10 and 12. The advancing edge portion of a photoprint 14 will engage and be stopped by the end stop 24 or 26 or both thereof. While such end stop may be carried by the end rails 16, a manufacturing advantage obtains by bending outer surface portions 20 and 22 to provide the stops described. The photoprint 14 is released when ones fingers contact crescent shaped opening 27 in the other end rail 18. When a photoprint is to be removed from a rectangular frame, it can be readily finger engaged through crescent opening 27.

The rectangular photoprint holders are preferably molded from plastics or pressed from metal and thus a manufacturing advantage results from the so-provided end stops 24 and 26. Also, the rails 10, 12, 16 and 18 are provided with upwardly projecting ribs 28 which form a rectangle outlining the center picture opening of the rectangular frame. These ribs 28 provide additional spacing between the picture face of a photoprint 14 and the outer surface of the ribs 28, thus further protecting the picture face. Also, such ribs function as reinforcing ribs and permit a less thickness of rails 10, 12, 16, and 18 and with the same or greater rigidity in the completed rectangular frame.

A storage container 30(FIGS. 7 and 8) is rectangular in plan and matches the configuration of the rectangular photoprint holders, i.e., square or with longer sides than the ends depending upon the configuration of the photoprint to be held and stored in the storage container 30. A shallow top 32 is pivotally connected by hinge means 34 to one top side edge of the container 30. If the container has longer sides than ends, the said hinge 34 will be along one of the longer sides to provide compactness. It is necessary to coat black and white prints directly after removal from the camera. Thus, if the width of the container 30 and the top 32 is minimum, one can support both by one hand, dispose the photoprint on its back surface in the inside cover of the top 32 and then coat the picture surface of the photoprint by applying the coating with the other hand. The provision of a container-lid combination which can be handled by one hand when the lid is open and projecting at 180 to the container is most useful in providing equipment permitting one to readily support and coat wet black and white photoprints without requiring the assistance of another person.

Within the containers 30 and adjacent one end wall 36 thereof, is disposed a side rail means 40 supported by each side wall 38. Each side rail means 40 pivotally supports one side end corner portion of end rail 16 of the rectangular frame (rails 10, 12, 16, and 18). A pivot means 42 on each side rails means 40 connects with each rectangular frame. The side rail means 40 extend diagonally downward from a top level, adjacent the end 36 toward the bottom 44 ofa container 30. The rectangular frame (rails 10, 12, 16, and 18) are disposed in superposed relation in the container 30 and pivot means 42 connect the corner portion of each rectangular frame at the area of the corners, formed by the top and bottom side rails l0, l2 and end rails 16, with the pivot means 40 spaced longitudinally of the container 30 to permit free upward turning movement of each rectangular photoprint holder as respects the next below photoprint holder. Stating the matter in another way, the pivots 42 are located along each side rail of the rectangular frame and near the end 36 of the container 30 with the pivots close enough to the ends of the rectangular frames so that each frame is free to pivot as respects the frame therebelow-as respects a frame and those above, they can be pivotally moved together.

After a photoprint is removed from the film package, the remainder provides litter which must be disposed of. The The problem of disposal of the litter is augmented by the fact that such litter includes harmful chemicals. Thus, 1 preferably provide a storage clip 46 secured to the floor or bottom 44 of the container 30. This clip is of a conventional type, having one end portion thereof secured by rivets 48 to such floor 44 and having a somewhat raised, free end portion under which excess film portion and other litter may be resiliently held for subsequent appropriate litter disposal.

SUMMARY Thus, in general, I have illustrated and described a photoprint holder comprising spaced apart, parallel, top and bottom rails 10 and 12, each being of U-shape in section and together forming spaced apart slots for slidingly receiving therein the top and bottom edge portions of a photoprint 14; and two spaced apart parallel end rails 16 and 18 disposed normal to said top and bottom rails 10 and 12, connected to the same, and forming therewith a rectangular frame having a center opening through whcih a photoprint may be viewed. Preferably, an end rail 18 is provided with a crescent shaped opening through which the end portion of a photoprint 14 may be finger engaged. Photoprint stop means are provided adjacent the other end rail 16, as by bending one of the outer surfaces 20 or 22 or both thereof toward the remainder of the rail thereof, as rails 10 and 12, also preferably the picture opening in the rectangular frame, comprising rails 10, 12, 16, and 18, is surrounded by ribs 28 projecting upwardly from said rails, such ribs functioning as reinforcing and spacing means.

A storage container 30 is provided with side walls 38 which support diagonally extending side rail support means 40. Spaced pivot means 42 connect a plurality of superposed photoprint holders with the support means 40 so that each rectangular photoprint holder is free for upward turning movement as respects the next below photoprint holder. In the storage cohtainer and clear of the photoprint holders is a refuse clip 46 for storing excess film material left over in the forming of the photoprints. The container 30 has a shallow lid 32 hinged to the container 30 along one of its longer sides to provide a compact unit to hold photoprints in the lid 32 while they are being coated, when desired.

Obviously changes may be made in the forms, dimensions, and arrangements of the parts of my invention without departing from the principle thereof, the above setting forth only preferred forms of the embodiment of my invention.

I claim: I v

l. A storage container for photoprints comprising a container body having spaced apart side and end walls; spaced apart, diagonally extending side rail means for pivotally supporting photoprint holders within and secured to said container body, said rail means being disposed adjacent one end portion of the container body and extending diagonally downwardly from a top portion to a bottom portion of each side wall of the container body; a plurality of superposed rectangular photoprint holders, each having end rails and side rails; and

pivot means connecting the side rails of each rectangular photoprint holder with said spaced apart side rails, the pivot means of each rectangular photoprint holder being spaced from the pivot means of the next below photoprint holder permitting free upward turning movement of a photoprint holder as respects the next below photoprint holder, each of said photoprint holders comprising: spaced apart, parallel, top and bottom rails, said rails, each being of U-shaped in section and together forming spaced apart slots for slidingly receiving therein the top and bottom edge portions of a photoprint; two spaced apart, parallel, end rails disposed normal to said top and bottom rails, connected to the same, and forming therewith a rectangular photoprint holder having a center opening through which a photoprint may be viewed, an end rail at one end portion of said frame being provided with a crescent shaped opening through which the trailingend portion of a photoprint may be finger engaged for sliding insertion or removal from the spaced apart slots; and photoprint stop means disposed at the other end portion of said frame preventing sliding movement of a photoprint therepast. 

1. A storage container for photoprints comprising a container body having spaced apart side and end walls; spaced apart, diagonally extending side rail means for pivotally supporting photoprint holders within and secured to said container body, said rail means being disposed adjacent one end portion of the container body and extending diagonally downwardly from a top portion to a bottom portion of each side wall of the container body; a plurality of superposed rectangular photoprint holders, each having end rails and side rails; and pivot means connecting the side rails of each rectangular photoprint holder with said spaced apart side rails, the pivot means of each rectangular photoprint holder being spaced from the pivot means of the next below photoprint holder permitting free upward turning movement of a photoprint holder as respects the next below photoprint holder, each of said photoprint holders comprising: spaced apart, parallel, top and bottom rails, said rails, each being of Ushaped in section and together forming spaced apart slots for slidingly receiving therein the top and bottom edge portions of a photoprint; two spaced apart, parallel, end rails disposed normal to said top and bottom rails, connected to the same, and forming therewith a rectangular photoprint holder having a center opening through which a photoprint may be viewed, an end rail at one end portion of said frame being provided with a crescent shaped opening through which the trailing end portion of a photoprint may be finger engaged for sliding insertion or removal from the spaced apart slots; and photoprint stop means disposed at the other end portion of said frame preventing sliding movement of a photoprint therepast. 